Hannah Steiner
Restaurant Hop In Trinity Groves.
Welcome to Perfect Date Night, a new weekly feature that acts as your spirit guide for going on a perfect date in what is objectively Texas' best city, Dallas. Each week, we'll give you a night's worth of suggestions for a date night in a specific neighborhood, complete with recommendations for bars, restaurants, concerts, art shows, sporting events or, well, anything, really. Just make sure you include an emoji or two when you text your crush to invite them out.
Date Details.
• When: Any night (or day, really).
• Duration: 2.5 hours.
• Number of Stops: Four.
• Modest Estimated Budget For Two: $110.
• Ballin' Estimated Budget For Two: $200.
• Ideal Partner: Someone with a taste for adventure. (Ha, get it?)
• Romance Scale: Three out of five hearts.
As most Dallasites know, Trinity Groves is one of the main new culinary hotspots in town. With a pretty diverse set of restaurants available, it can be hard to choose which one to go to. Fortunately, with this weekend's date night you don't have to pick just one. We're doing a four-course date featuring four different restaurants to keep your taste buds (and your date) happy.
Course 1: Appetizers at Kitchen LTO (3011 Gulden Lane #108, Dallas). Kitchen LTO is a pretty neat concept. Every six months they reinvent themselves with a new chef and a new menu. Currently, Chef Nick Amoriello has taken over, doing what he calls “regional comfort cuisine.” No matter what you call it, it's delicious. Given that this is your first stop, grab some of their starters including the Bass Crudo, Venison Tartare and Fish Fritters.
Course 2: Entrees at Chino Chinatown (3011 Gulden Ln, #110, Dallas). For the main course, we're off to Chino Chinatown, where they work to blend Latin and Chinese cuisines to create new and unique versions of some of the most common dishes around. If you've heard of Chino Chinatown, you've probably heard about their duck-fat fried rice — and for good reason because it's fucking delicious. Full of shrimp, Chinese sausage, Thai roasted BBQ pork and a fried egg, it's a perfected version of the ubiquitous takeout dish and it will have you craving more the next day. Other winners here include their ramen and drunken noodles, so you can't really go wrong.
Course 3: Dessert at Kate Weiser Chocolate (3011 Gulden Ln #115, Dallas). My sweet tooth will eventually be my downfall, but for now I'll keep indulging it with the perfect and unique candy bars and truffles at Kate Weiser Chocolate. They may be pricey, but it's worth it for your taste buds to serve witness to one of the foremost chocolatiers in the world. (Bonus points if you manage to snag their ice cream that's only available for the summer season!)
Course 4: Drinks at LUCK (3011 Gulden Ln. Suite #112 , Dallas). To wind down the night, we're grabbing a relaxing beer or two at LUCK. While they do have excellent food here, that can wait for another time when you're not full of duck-fat fried rice and a million other things. LUCK's beer menu regularly changes, so you should be able to find some new local brews to try, and their patio is a prime spot for talking and cuddling with your sweetie after a food and adventure-filled night. Cheers!
